Alonso confirmed in his press conference ahead of our Carabao Cup fourth-round tie at Liverpool that the Brazilian would be unavailable ‘for a few weeks’ after sustaining an injury in training on the eve of our weekend clash with Tottenham Hotspur.

That leaves a hole in our attack that needs filling. Alonso has the fit-again Emmanuel Emegha at his disposal as well as Welbeck, who has already netted three goals in our Carabao Cup campaign.

The Blues manager could also choose to utilise another attacker through the middle, as he did in the defeat to Tottenham. Yet it is clear what attributes our manager believes Welbeck can offer his Chelsea team.

He said: ‘Danny’s good being between the centre-backs. He’s good connecting with the players around him as a reference, and when the players around him support him.

‘When he's close to the box, he’s a goal threat because he has this intelligence to find the right spot. We need to reach those areas where he's more productive – those are the best qualities of Danny.’

Alonso will hope to see them in full force in the coming weeks, starting at Anfield tomorrow evening.